Category: Marriage & Family

I am no expert in relationships, but I am a competition-oriented runner in a relationship with another runner, and as the years go by and my husband and I go in and out of training cycles, I’ve noticed a few patterns.

The way I see it, the relationship dynamic between pair of runners depends greatly on where each runner is in her/his training. It’s sort of like the states of matter: as the molecules of an object react to different temperatures, the object passes through the various states of matter (solid, liquid, gas, etc.). Similarly, as the training of two runners increases and decreases in intensity, so will their relationship fluctuate through different states. Read more >>

Woohoo! A new Salty feature! Ask-a-Salty is where you ask the questions and we give you the answers! Just look at the top of this page and you’ll see the “Ask-a-Salty” link. Just click and ask away and maybe you’ll be featured in our next installment!

Of course with our Ask-a-Salty feature, as with any post on the site, readers are encouraged to weigh in with their input in the comments!

In this very first installment we have two great questions from two awesome readers!

The first question (actually 2 questions!) comes from Kenia who asks:

I have been running for five months. I have done a 5k, a 1/2 marathon and a 10k during that time. I would like to run a marathon, however I feel like my time it’s still not that good, 7:46 mi and 8:10mi. I’ve alwaysbeen very active and trained every day. This is the first time I’ve taken running seriously. What do you recommend to do to increase speed?

By the way 2013 will be the year that we will be trying for our thirdchild. Would you recommend doing the race before, during or after baby? Read more >>

To be fair, most of us won’t be winning our fall marathons. Yeah, yeah, I know we have Salt(y) and Pepper here to think about, but the majority of us – mere mortals that we are – don’t have a huge shot at seeing the tape.

We do, however, have our own victories inherent in the race. What is it for you? A first time finish? A PR? Breaking 4 or 5 hours for the first time? Qualifying for Boston? The list is as long as the number of people running, and the “victories” as personal and individual as each of us.

The problem with the marathon? Well, it’s right there in the title. “The thrill of victory – the agony of defeat.” The marathon is HARD. And anything – anything – can happen out there. A dream can come true – and a dream can be shattered. All in the space of two-and-a-half to six hours.

For the amount of training and the months of work we put into these things, that’s a pretty big risk, don’t you think? So what’s a girl (or guy) to do? How do we reconcile that mountain of work we’ve put into this with the huge risk we take stepping on the starting line? How do we prepare ourselves – mentally and emotionally – for all the things that can physically go wrong? How do we stare down our fear of failure? Read more >>

I wanted to write a state of my pregnancy address for Labor Day. (Get it? Labor. Har.) But, something rather interesting has come up that I wanted to share with you instead.

Since high school, I’ve experienced an occasional freaky thing with my heart. Every once in a while, out of the blue and usually related to a run, but not always, my heart will start beating like crazy. It feels like it’s going to beat right out of my chest! When it first happened I went to see a cardiologist. He had me wear a thing called a Holter Monitor which recorded my heartbeat for about 48 hours. Of course, I didn’t have one of these incidencts while wearing the monitor, my EKG (measure of my heartrate and rhythms) came back clean and my basic exam showed me to be completely normal. The freaky heart thing, which I always referred to as a heart palpitation, would come on suddenly, leave quickly and once it was gone I felt like nothing ever happened. So the thought was that this was just a quirk and there was no need to worry about it.

People really are amazing. I love seeing what others can do. Sometimes I will watch someone and think, wow, she is really strong. Or smart. Or courageous. Or kind. Or bold. Or tough. Or all of the above. It is really cool. Particularly if I know that person. Why? Because I know she is an ordinary person like me. If she can do it, maybe I can too. So it is amazing and inspiring. Then there are the times your own child blows you away. It is incredible and in fact, there really are no adequate words to describe the impact.

I was lucky enough to have that happen to me last weekend. I want to share it with my fellow Salties because I not only like good stories, I also believe we can learn a lot from those that amaze us. Read more >>

I know. I know. We’ve been talking about race weight and calories and body image a lot these past couple of weeks. Another weight post. I hear you. But this issue is a little different. This one’s all about what happens to that fit body you’ve worked so hard for when you have a bun in the oven.

It might go something like this. You come back from your morning run and something doesn’t feel right. On top of that, you’re late. No, not to a date! The other kind of late. So you head to bathroom and pee on the stick. You wait while staring at the stick, which is trembling along with your hand. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing … WHAT?! Pink line! And that’s the beginning of the end. Your training will see you again in about nine months to a year and many many many pounds heavier. Read more >>

In light of many of our Salty posters opening up and getting really honest around here lately it is about time I step up to the plate. I signed on to writing for this site with the plan of opening up and being honest about my life outside of running and the effect it has had on me as a runner. Because of the timing of my initiation to Salty Running falling before the Boston Marathon it morphed into me being the comeback spice of sorts when that wasn’t really what I planned to talk about at all. Read more >>

The other night I went back there. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been back. It might have even been the night I shed some tears.

My father was around for the first three years of my life, the most important years of my life as far as relationships are concerned. His nurturance and love during those years were crucial, as our strong bond was formed. Yet, no one could predict how tested that bond would become years later. Read more >>

My husband DB and I are blessed with an amazing group of friends on the roads as well as the trails. Friends that care for us deeply, that want the best for us and therefore do their best to look out for us. But when it comes to the (shocking!) topic of infertility, one of two things tends to happen: dead silence or heartfelt – but useless – advice.

Sometimes I hope that it’s simply the taboo of infertility that leads to these quick and simple assessments. Run less. Gain more. Go on a vacation. Relax. Adopt. And I certainly understand that when faced with a) an uncomfortable subject and b) a hurting friend, one’s gut reaction would be to find the fastest, easiest remedy. But infertility is complicated, and each and every couple that faces it has a uniquely different story.

“Why discuss it all?” you might ask. After all, it’s something very private, very painful, and very taboo (sex!). Read more >>

Running with your child is a wonderful thing. She is moving, you are moving. You are instilling healthy habits. And I am willing to bet you are having a whole lot of fun while doing it.

My boys starting a 5K with lots of mini-minty smiles

I have been running with my two boys for years, and people are often surprised at how much they run and how fast they run. At first, I too was surprised that they not only wanted to run, but they also really seemed to enjoy it. But I shouldn’t have been. If you can give your kids some guidance and motivation, they just may love running and being active as much as you do. That, my friends, is an amazingly rewarding thing for everyone involved.

Today I share with you my top insights on running and training with kids. Read more >>

April 29, 2001 was one of the most amazing days of my life. I was running around the Cleveland Marathon course all morning, watching my boyfriend run a PR marathon. With only 12 or so marathons under my own belt and my first Boston-qualifier still a year away, I was in complete awe of this guy. His training had been insane – people really did run 100 miles a week! He was extremely thin, powerful and focused. So focused that he saw, but didn’t have time to read, the silly little sign I had made him using his pet name, “Puppy.”

Since I was still kind of green, I didn’t realize that guys running in the 2:40’s don’t have a ton of time for signs. Read more >>

Last Sunday I ran a 5k race while 10.5 weeks pregnant. Even though this is my third pregnancy I still feel a little conflicted about how much I can push myself. Must I jog all the time or can I push a little bit or a lot? Will I know if I pushed too hard? I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling a little confused about what level of running is safe during pregnancy.

Is pregnancy a time to kick back, cut miles and run easy or is it ok for women to continue to push the pace? Read more >>

My kids and I love our YMCA. My son and daughter take gym and swim and soccer and love going to play with the other kids while I get in a good workout. It’s such a win-win for all of us! Back in March just as I was on the up and up after my injury hiatus I noticed the signs in the gym advertising for their 5k in early May. What a perfect race to make my triumphant comeback!

It is often said that there are few problems that can’t be solved by a good long run. Left alone with only your conscience, thoughts, and heart to guide you, you are quickly stripped clean. If you’re hurting, you’re aware of it. If you’re struggling with something, you can begin to unravel the knotted ball of yarn. If you owe amends, you can gain the strength to make them. Running at its best can cleanse us; strip us to our bare beauty and our ugliest character defects. And this done, it then begins to heal us with each new breath we take. I have left the house in a fog, heavy-hearted and heavy-legged, and returned a lighter being.

Those are beautiful days and beautiful runs, runs when, to quote George Gershwin, “the livin’ is easy.”

In the blogosphere it’s easy to portray the image that everything is like so great all the time. I am soooo happy and everything is perfect. All. The. Time.

While there is so much to be grateful for in all the Salty Bloggers’ lives, we’re all still human. Including me. To prove it (because I know you’ve all been secretly wondering) I want to share a (probably irrational) fear I have about my running. Read more >>